From Sea to Soil: Inland Impacts of Maritime Piracy and Arms Trafficking on East Africa

Abstract

Maritime piracy and illicit arms trafficking in the Gulf of Aden (GOA) are often addressed as maritime security issues, but their implications have far-reaching inland impacts on the governance, political stability, and security dynamics. This article sets out to examine how these sea-based criminal activities shift and become agents of mainland insecurity within the East African region. Using Regional Security Complex Theory (RSC) and Securitisation Theory, this research explores the processes through which piracy and arms trafficking penetrate regional security, escalate local conflicts, and impact political, social, and economic instability. It highlights the sources and trade routes of illicit arms flow in the East African region. The analysis demonstrates that arms trafficked across the sea are frequently deployed to land-based insurgent groups, with the ransom of pirates funding criminal and political groups in war-torn, unstable East African nations. Knowing the relationship between sea and land security, this paper suggests a more unified method of regional security that focusses on coastal and inshore vulnerabilities.